


& it's all on the way home

by Ellimio



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Small Town, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 17:34:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10168190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellimio/pseuds/Ellimio
Summary: Small town!AU. Bitty works at the local bakery.  Jack knows Bitty bikes to and from work every day, and decides to give him a lift home in his truck one day when it's raining. What happens next?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I initially thought of this as a part of my series Hang With Me, but I didn't think I could do it justice with the formatting. Hopefully I did this way!
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments! they are greatly appreciated :) 
> 
> As always, thanks to E for the support and encouragement. I promise I'll do my thesis work now!!

Bitty sighs as he looks out the front window of the bakery. The R&B song he has playing on the store sound system attempts to bring a cheery feel to the dark and stormy summer evening — but so far it’s not working. Clouds had threatened in the sky all day, and it finally decided to pour as soon as Bitty is meant to close up and go home for the evening. Great.

He works slowly doing his closing chores: he’s the only one left, the head baker left around midday, leaving him all alone with the loaves, treats, meals and delicatessen items. Bitty goes to work marking the remaining items as day-olds for the morning, sweeping and mopping the front, and cleaning up the remaining dishes from the day’s work.

The rain does not let up; if anything, it pelts down harder.

He types out a tweet:

@omgcheckplease: Lord, if only this rain would stop. I didn’t bring my raincoat!!

Bitty counts the cash register, marks the deposit, and fills change. Still raining.

Sighing once again, he gathers up his things and heads towards the door. Flicking off the lights, and fumbling for the keys in his pocket, he faces the inevitable: and walks out the back door to where is bike is chained up. After all, he’s going to get wet anyways, there was no point in rushing.

A few milliseconds of torrential downpour later, he dashes back in to grab a ziploc bag to put his phone in, so at least it doesn’t get soaked.But while in the store, a pair of headlights flash in the front window, and Bitty's phone buzzes in his hand.

Jack: Need a ride home?

Bitty grins enormously.

He feels light as air as he promptly locks the back door and runs back up to unlock the front so he can slip through to the truck. he waves to Jack from the overhang, motioning that it will take him a few moments to lock the door up again. Once he’s done, Bitty leaps through the rain to the truck door.

Landing in the high seat of the truck, Bitty scoots into position on the leather seat, leaning towards the window in an attempt to not to drip on anything important. Or let Jack know he's breathing too hard. Should that short burst of running actually make him this breathless? He tries to ignore it.

“Hey!” he breathes to Jack, furiously trying to stop his hair from dripping. “Thanks for the ride! Were you in town already?”  Jack laughs softly at the sight. “yeah, I was just over getting a few things at the grocery store.”

  
Sure enough, there were a few plastic bags in the half-cab backseat. He turns his head from Bitty, pointing to the storefront. “did you want to grab your bike?”

Bitty really didn't want to go back out into the rain. “Nah, I think it’ll be okay for the night. It’s chained up. I’ll figure it out in the morning!”

Jack nods, and pulls out onto the street. Bitty looks out the window of the truck, steam beginning to gather on the edges of the windows due to the temperature drop along with the rain. He still can’t quite believe that Jack came to pick him up. He keeps chanting it in his head: I’m in Jack’s truck! I’m in Jack’s truck! I’m in Jack’s truck! He sends out a quick tweet, documenting this event.

@omgcheckplease: Crisis averted y’all! Jack’s giving me a ride.

They sit in silence for a few moments, until Bitty erupts in nervous chatter. He asks Jack small questions, and Jack responds politely with his usually short replies and comments scattered throughout the rest of Bitty's ramblings. The conversation is easy, and a pleasant change from Jack’s normal routine.

“I really hope it’s not too much trouble for you to drive me home,” Bitty bursts, his southern manners escaping his long-forgotten cool exterior. He is still freaking out inside. Jack is driving him home!! How did he see his text so fast? Jack was not necessarily a regular at the bakery, but stopped in from time to time. They had chatted a bit - but honestly, Bitty thought that Jack hadn’t really liked him when they first met. But then suddenly they saw each other about town all the time, especially at the area - and through mutual friends they eventually began to hit it off.

Jack shrugs. “no trouble at all, Bittle.” He gives him a little half-smile, and turns his ice-blue eyes back to the road.

It’s not a long drive to Bitty’s house, but suddenly they are sitting in his driveway, talking about nothing in particular — parents, what it’s like at the bakery, arena events, and social gatherings from around town.

Eventually the rain subsides, and they realize how long they’ve been sitting in the truck chatting.

“Gosh, Jack, i’m so sorry!!” Bitty gushes. “I hope you didn’t have any perishables in your bag that need to be in the fridge?? Did you buy milk or meat anything frozen??” He brings a hand to his head, noticing that his hair is already dry.

Jack just tilts his head a bit, smiles, and assures him it's okay. Bitty offers for him to come in, have a drink or a slice of pie or something, but Jack just smiles and declines. “I should be getting home, Bittle. Goodnight.”

Bitty nods, and after thanking Jack once again, jumps out of the truck. He scuttles up the porch to the front door, trying hard not to look as Jack waits for him to unlock the door and enter his house before backing out of the driveway, and driving towards town once again.

——

The same time next week, Jack pulls up:

Jack: need a ride home?

It becomes a tradition. Every week, Jack parks outside just before closing and Bitty throws his bike in the back, and usually brings Jack some free day-olds - bread, pie, whatever is handy. Jack usually protests, but Bitty has a feeling he’s secretly happy about it. Bitty is happy to share them, too. 

They always talk for at least couple extra minutes before Bitty goes in. Sometimes he persuades Jack to come in, too: with excuses like he knows that he’s baked something that Jack with particularly like, or a song he wants to show him, or a broken appliance he needs a second opinion on. Jack never wants to outstay his welcome - always leaving after a respectable time - but Bitty plots in his head each week, how he can get Jack to stay just a little bit longer.

Then one week, towards the end of summer, it’s pouring again. This time, Bitty is determined to put his bike in the back of the truck, despite the rain - bringing it through to the front of the store so Jack doesn’t have to drive down the alleyway to get at it - but  he still manages to get soaked putting it in the bed of the truck.

Once again, he’s dripping water all over the passenger seat of Jack’s truck. He can’t help but notice Jack’s cool blue eyes lingering on the wet fabric of his t-shirt hugging his torso, or his golden waves probably not-so-artfully plastered to the top of his head. He self-consciously brings his arm up to rake his fingers through his hair, letting it sit more naturally - and notices Jack visibly inhale. Hmmmm.

They talk like normal, and all too quickly Jack pulls into Bitty’s laneway. Bitty didn’t have an excuse this week to have Jack come in. He racked his brain all week - maybe he could have a look at that wiggly chair leg, or he could make a batch of scones he needed a taste-test on, which had to be absolutely, made-that-moment fresh for Jack to get the best objective opinion. But nothing came to mind as they sat there in comfortable silence.

Bitty half-heartedly began to excuse himself. “Well Jack, thanks again for the ride!” He said cheerfully while unbuckling his seatbelt, and leant in towards the driver side to grab his backpack from the half-cab. His back twisted and stretched over the armrest, trying to grab a hold of the small bag somehow wedged under the bench seat - and wasn't moving - until it suddenly sprung free, with the strap smacking Jack straight in the face. But —that couldn’t have happened unless Jack’s face was leant over the armrest too, surely?

Shrieking in response to what just happened, Bitty reached out to touch Jack’s cheek where it was hit. Jack looked more dazed than anything; His face softening somehow even more when Bitty touches it, placing his thumb on the cheekbone where the bag hit - and then caresses it, running his palm and fingers down the length of Jack’s cheek and jaw, bringing his thumb to his parting lips — and suddenly they are kissing and everything is on fire and Bitty’s heart _soars_.

Jack brings his hand softly to the small of Bitty’s back, tentatively resting it there as Bitty smiles against his lips. “oh,” he sighs, wrapping his own arms around Jack’s neck, smoothing the soft jet black hair at the base of his skull.

“yeah,” Jack murmurs into Bitty’s shoulder, breathless.

This becomes a tradition as well. Only now, Jack doesn’t need to be persuaded to come inside.

**Author's Note:**

> say hi on tumblr [here!](https://www.garfunkelsfirstname.tumblr.com)


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